Rail spreader



July 5,1927. 1 1,634,664

r-'. w. HARRIS RAIL SPREADER Filed Feb. 25. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. W. HARRIS RAIL SPREADER Filed Feb. 25. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW/TOR 6 26% hm Q N 66 6 M Qw 66w m uh m w 3 m mm Patented July 5, 1927.

U N! TED S T S AT E OFF [(3 E...

FORD W. HARRIS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA; ASSIGNOR TOMAGNETIC SIGNAL CO., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

RAIL SPREADER.

Application filed February 23, 1926. Serial-No; 89,911.

tion of railroad track from-the other portion thereof, which insulated portion of track is used as a part of an electrical. circuit for signaling devices. When a. tram runs over this portion of the track, the wheels thereof will electrically connect the insulated portion of track to the opposite portion of track in a manner to ground it and complete the circuit, thus operating the signal. Such insulation of a portion of track is accomplished by insulating the fish-plates from the rail and also by inserting insulationblocks between. the ends of the rail which is to be insulated from the other portions of the track; For inserting these insulation blocks between the ends ofadjacent rails a rail spreader is employed.-

The ordinary form of rail spreader consists of a pair of tllFGZtClQClfblOCkS which are secured to adjacent rail members and aturnbuckle screw by means of which the blocks may be spread in order to spread the rails apartso that a space will be created between the ends of the rails into which the insulation blocks may be placed. Rails of a track aresecured together by fish-plates which are placed on each side of adjacent tracks at the joint and are secured thereto by bolts. The spacings of the holes through which the bolts for securing the fish-plates to the rails are not uniform, and it is ordinarilynecessary to have different rail Spreaders which are each proportioned to fit a difl'erentspacing of holes. I

It is an object of my invention to provide a rail spreader which may be used on rails having different spacings of fish-plate bolt holes.

It is another object of my invention to provide a rail spreader having'a novel form of adapter plate, by reason of which the rail spreader may be used on rails having different spacings of fish-plate bolt holes.

Other objects and particular advantages of this invention will be made evident hereinafter.

' Referring to the drawings in which I illustrate a preferred form of my invention,

Fig. 1 is aperspectiv-e view of the rail spreader of my invention as applied to the tudinallyelongated openings 23..

abutting ends of apair of adjacent railroad rails.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the manner of operating the rail spreader when applied as shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the rail spreader of my invention secured to a pair of rails.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 4:4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectiontaken on the lines 5-5 of Figs. 3 and 4.

The form of my invention shown in. the drawings has a pair of blocks 11. The blocks 11 have not portions through which longitudinal openings 12 are formed. The portions 14; of the longitudinal openings 12 are threaded. A turn-buckle screw 16 is providedwithshaft portionsl'? which eX- tend through the openings 12 and which are threaded at 18 so as to'screw into the threaded portions 14 of the openings'12. The central part of the turn-buckle screw 16 is provided with an enlargedcylindrical head 20 having openings 21 formed therethrough'which are adapted to receive a'bar whereby the turnbuckle screw 16 may be rotated. The threads 14 and 18 of the blocksll andshafts 17- are opposite in direction so that when the turn-bncklescrew 16. is rotated in one direction, the blocks- 11 are spread; and. when the turn-buckle screw 16'is rotated in the oppositedirection the blocks 11 are contracted.

The blocks 11 are provided with cavities 22 which separate the slnooth portions and the threaded portions of the openings 12. Atthe bottom of the cavities 22 are longi- EXtending from adjacent sides of the blocks 11 are flanges 24 in which longitudinally elongated openings 24 are formed. The longitudinal axes of the elongated openings 23 and 246* lie in the same horizontal plane and are of substantially; the same length. Engaging each of the blocks 11 is an adapter plate 25 The adapter plates 25 have web portions 26 which are-adapted to engage plane faces 27 of .theblocks 11. Lugs28 project outwardly from the opposite ends of'the adapter plates 25 and provide shoulders 29-which engage outer endfaces 30 and inner endfaces, 31 of the blocks 11.

The. rail spreader of the invention is shown as secured to adjacent rails 32'. The

rails 32 have vertical webs 34 which are provided with fish-plate bolt openings The blocks 11 are secured to the rails 32 by means of bolts 36 which extend through the fish-plate bolt openings 35. The bolts 36 have heads 37 which engage outer faces 38 which surround the longitudinally elongated openings 21 and 23 of the bloc rs 11. Adjacent to the heads 37 of the bolts 36 there are provided elliptical portions 39 which rest in the longitudinally elongated openings 23 and 2e and are for the purpose of keeping the bolts 36 from rotating. The adapter plates 26 have openings 41 formed therein through which the bolts 36 extend and which are spaced the same distance apart as the fish-plate bolt openings formed in the rails 32. The bolts 35 extend through back plates 42 which engage the webs 34 on the sides opposite from the adapter plates 25, and nuts 13 are screwed onto the bolts for clamping the blocks 11 and the adapter plates in place.

The operation of the invention is substantially as follows:

After the adapter plates 25 and the blocks 11 have been secured in place, as shown in the drawings, the blocks 11 are forced apart by rotating the turn-buckle screw 16 in the proper direction by extending a bar 48 through one of the openings 21 and using this bar as a crank, as shown in Fig. 2. The thrust resulting from the spreading of the blocks 11 by the turn-buckle screw 16 is transferred to the adapter plates 25 through the outer end faces of the blocks 11 and the outer shoulders 28 of the adapter plates 25. There is no thrust transferred from the blocks 11 to the adapter plates 25 by means of the bolts 36. The thrust is transferred from the adapter plates 25 to the rails 32 by means of the bolts 36.

In the manner described the adjacent rails 32 are spread apart so that a space is made between the ends thereof and so that an insulation block 49, as shown in Fig. 1, may be inserted therebetween. A very important part of the invention resides in the fact that the rail spreader of this invention may be used on rails having different spacings of fish-plate bolt holes. In using the rail spreader shown in the drawings on rails having fish-plate bolt holes 35 which are spaced farther apart, it is only necessary to utilize a different pair of adapter plates which have openings therein which correspond to the spacing of the openings 35 in the rails 32. The bolts 36, since they extend into elongated openings 23 and 24 in the blocks 11, may be adjusted to the desired spacing. In Fig. 3 dotted lines illustrate one of the bolts 35 as it may be placed when the openings in the rails are a greater distance apart than those shown by full lines.

- The adapter plates 25 in this instance must ferent pairs of adapter plates 25 which willattach the blocks 11 and turn-buckle screw 16 to any of the pairs of rails which are to be spread. The bolts 36 will not fall from place when the nuts 43 are removed, since the shaft portion 17 of the turn-buckle screw 16 extends adjacent to the heads thereof which prevents the bolt heads from moving outwardly any great distance.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rail spreader comprising: a pair of blocks having longitudinally elongated openings; bolts adapted to extend through said longitudinally elongated openings for attaching said blocks to adjacent rails, said bolts being adjustable in said longitudinally elongated openings so that said bolts may be aligned with openings in said rails;

means for forcing said blocks apart; and adapter members placed between said blocks and said rails through which thrust is trans ferred from said blocks to said rails.

2. A rail spreader comprising: a pair of blocks having longitudinally elongated openings; bolts adapted to extend through said longitudinally elongated openings for attaching said blocks to adjacent rails, said bolts being adjustable in said longitudinally elongated openings so that said bolts may be aligned with openings in said rails; means for forcing said blocks apart; and adapter members placed between said blocks and said rails through which thrust is transferred from said blocks to said rails, said adapter members having openings formed therein through which said bolts ext-end, being of the same spacing as said openings in said rails.

3. A rail spreader comprising: a pair of blocks having longitudinally elongated openings; bolts adapted to extend through said longitudinally elongated openings for attaching said blocks to adjacent rails, said bolts being adjustable in said longitudinally elongated openings so that said bolts may be aligned with openings in said rails; a turn buckle screw threadably engaging said blocks for forcing said blocks apart; and adapter members placed between said blocks and said rails through which thrust is transferred from said blocks to said rails.

a. A rail spreader comprising: a pair of blocks having longitudinally elongated openllU ings; bolts adapted to extend through said longitudinally elongated openings for attaching saidblocks to adjacent rails, said bolts being adjustable in said longitudinally elongated openings so that said bolts may be aligned with openings in said rails; means for forcing said blocks apart; and adapter plates engaging said blocks and being non-1novable relatively thereto in a longitudinal direction, said adapter plates having openings therein which are the same spacing as said openings in said rails, said bolts extending through said openings in said adapter plates. I

5. A rail spreader comprising: a pair of blocks having longitudinally elongated openings; bolts adapted to extend through said longitudinally elongated openings for 'attaching said blocks to adjacent rails, said bolts being adjustable in said longitudinally elongated openings so that said bolts may be aligned with openings in said rails; a turnbuckle screw threadably engaging said blocks for forcing said blocks apart; and adapter plates engaging said blocks and being noninovable relatively thereto in a longitudinal direction, said adapter plates having openings therein which are the same spacing as said openings in said rails, said bolts extending through said openings in said adapter plates.

6. A combination as specified in claim 4 in which said adapter plates have end shoulders engaging said blocks for effecting said relative longitudinal non-movability.

7. A rail spreader comprising: a pair of blocks; bolts for attaching said blocks to adjacent rails; means for forcing said blocks apart; and adapter members placed between said blocks and said rails through which thrust is transferred from said blocks to said rails.

8. A rail spreader comprising: a pair of blocks having longitudinally elongated openings; bolts adapted to extend through said longitudinally elongated openings for attaching said blocks to adjacent rails, said bolts being adjustable in said longitudinally elongated openings so that said bolts may be aligned with openings in said rails; means for forcing said blocks apart; and adapted members through which thrust is transferred from said blocks to said rails.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 15th day of February, 1926.

FORD W. HARRIS. 

